Stylus-holder for talking-machines



STYLUS HOLDER FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION flLED JAN.22, 1919.

1,359,995, Patented N ov. 23,1920.

3 vtbewi'oz UNITED srarss PATENT OFFICE.

FREDRIOK E. JOSS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 LEKTOPHONE CORPO- RATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

STYLUS-HOLDER FOR TALKING-MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Fnnmuon E. Joss,

a citizen of the United States, residing at borough of Brooklyn, in .the county of Kings, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stylus-Holders for Talking-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. This invention relates to talking machines, and in particular to machines of the Hopkins type, in which the vibrations of the stylus, during its travel along a phonic line, are transmitted to a conical diaphragm of large area, freely. supported in unconfined air, in a manner to move the entire conical portion of the diaphragm bodily.

In machines of the character specified, the diaphragm is usually attached to the rear end of a supporting bar, which is mounted to move across the record, and carries a vibration transmission connection that extends from thestylus to the diaphragm. Such connection preferably comprises, in addition to the stylus holder, a transmission rod or element which is received within a bore or passage extending through the supporting bar from end to end thereof and is joined at its front end to the holder and at itsrear end to the apex of the diaphragm. Ordinarily, the mounting of the stylus holder is such that'the stylus will operate effectively only in connection with either lateral-cut or hill-and-dale records, thus limiting'its use to one or the other of these two types of record. It has been proposed to overcome this difficulty by providing a transmission connection capable of movement from a position for playing records of one character to a position in which records of the other character can be played, and vice versa. This was effected by mounting the supporting bar to turn about its longitudinal axis, carrying with it the diaphragm and transmission connection, the stylus being thereafter movable relatively to the transmission rod so as to properly position it for engage- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 23 1920 Application filed January 22, 1919. Serial No. 272,408.

ment with the record. The independent or 9 relative movement of the stylus was permitted by constructing the holder in two parts, the part which carried the stylus belng mounted to rotate on the other part or base of the holder, to which the transmission rod was attached.

According to the present invention the former unlversal mounting is simplified, and at the same time improved, by utilizing a stylus holder which, instead of being made in two parts, as before, consists of a single part only which is mounted in the supporting bar and connected with the'transmission rod in such a manner that it can adapt itself with equal facility to both types of vibrations. In this way, the actual cost of con struction is decreased, while any danger of the stylus-carrying part of the holder working loose upon the base of the holder is avoided, so that a more effective. construcfiondis provided than the one formerly uti- The invention further resides in the provision of a one-piece stylus holder having the characteristic features above indicated. which is mounted in the supporting bar in a manner such as will enable it to be adjusted with respect thereto for the purpose of enabling the sensitiveness of the diaphragm to be controlled. A mounting of the general character proposed is illustrated in a prior U. S. Patent 1,312,958, granted August 12, 1919, in the names 'of-William H. Davis and myself as joint inventors. In the construction shown in that patent, a resilient mounting is provided for the stylus holder, constituted by a spring which is received in a socket formed in the end of the supporting bar, and which is capable of being drawn out from or pushed back into its socket for the purpose of varying the length of its exposed portion. This spring, however, is

flat, and for that reason can flex in one direction only, that is, a lateral fiexion in the plane in which it lies. Such fiexion precluding the playing of hill-and-dale or verticalcut records. In the present construction, the flat spring is replaced by a strip of wire preferably of circ lar section, which may be moved into or out of its socket, and may be clamped in adjusted position, and the arm or extension on the vertical base portion of the holder to which the transmission rod is connected is disposed at an angle which may vary from 37 to 45 to the vertical plane passing through the longitudinal. axis of the stylus-carrying part of the holder. instead of being arranged at an angle of 90 to the holder as was formerly the case. lVith the improved construction, it is possible for such plane to vibrate both laterally for zig zag cut records, and vertically for hill-anddale records, so that either type of record can be played without entailing any change in the position of the stylus or any manipulation of the supporting bar.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one form which the invention may take in practice, and therein Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved stylus holder, applied to a supporting bar, the latter appearing in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a front View, but the bar is shown herein in full lines; I

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the holder;

Figs. 1 and 5 are horizontal and vertical sectional views taken, respectively, on line 4L-4 of Fig. 2 and 5-5 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmental vertical sectional view on a reduced scale, showing the diaphragm mounted on the supporting bar and connected to the transmission rod.

\Vhile the form of the invention disclosed in the drawing may be regarded for present purposes as preferred, yet the invention is not intended to be limited to the precise structural details of such disclosure. On the contrary, the invention is clearly susceptible to modification and change while still falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the construction disclosed in the drawing, 1 indicates generally the supporting bar, and 2 the transmission rod of a Hopkinstype talking machine. The bar 1 is mounted to move across the turn table of the ma chine in the usual way, and it carries at its rear end a large, conical diaphragm 17 (Fig. 6), which is freely supported in unconfined air and which has connected to its apex the rear end of the transmission rod. The latter is disposed within an eccentric bore 3, which extends through the bar from end to end, the ends of the rod projecting through the opposite ends of the bore. These parts are usual in Hopkins machines, and, hence, require no extended description.

The improved stylus holder 41, wherein the present invention essentially resides, is of one-piece construction, as previously stated, and comprises a base 5 and a downwardly-inclined, stylus-carrying part 6,, the latter having an enlarged head 7 in which the stylus 8 and the clamping screw 9 are mounted in the ordinary manner. To the here shown as comprising a pair of screws 12 which are inserted in threaded recesses 13 formed radially in the bar, the ends of the screws engaging small wooden bearing blocks 14: which likewise fit in the threaded passages or screw holes 13 and which di rectly engage the spring wire strip at their inner ends, at which point they are preferably concaved so as to-conform to the curvature of the strip and thus provide an increased gripping surface. By tightening the screws, their pressure against the bearing blocks is, of course, increased, with the result that the wire strip will be firmly clamped in place. At the same time, by providing the bearing blocks, the screw ends are prevented from engaging and possibly injuring the wire strip.

There is also formed on the base 5, of the holder, an arm or ear 15, to which the front end of the transmission rod 2 is secured, the arm being preferably slotted longitudinally, as indicated at 16, to enable the adjustable attachment of the rod end thereto, such attachment being efif cted in the manner disclosed in the'Davis and Joss patent, above identified, or in any other suitable manner. This arm15, instead of being disposed at an angle of substantially 90 to the vertical plane which passes through the longitudinal axis of the stylus carrying part 6 of the holder, is disposed at an acute angle to such plane which may Vary between 37 and 45, the former arrangement being disclosed.

The spring wire strip 10, as willbe understood from the foregoing, provides a resilient mounting for the stylus'holder, and by reason of the employment of a strip which is capable of flexing either vertically or latorally, as distinguished from afiat or leaf spring, and of the disposition of the attaching arm 15 in the manner indicated, both transverse and vertical vibrations may be imparted with equal facility to the stylus and its holder, according as one type of record or the other is being played, and transmitted by the rod to the diaphragm. Thus both standard types or record may be played interchangeably, without entailing any manipulation of either the supporting bar or the holder other than that ordinarily required for the insertion'and removal of styli. The adjustment of the spring strip aiiords means for experimentally locating and establishing a particular and very precise resiliency in the exposed length of'the spring, with a resultant control of the sensitiveness of the diaphragm 17, in the same way as in the earlier construction disclosed in the Davis and oss patent. In other words, if the wire strip or spring is drawn out of its recess, the resiliency of its exposed portion is necessarily increased and the holder will then vibrate with a greater de gree of. freedom; if the spring is pushed back in its recess, then the length of its exposed portion is decreased and the exposed portion is rendered stiffer and can vibrate with less freedom. This is necessitated, of course, by possible variations in the thickness of the diaphragm, and in actual practice an adj ustment is made forthe particular diaphragm that is being used. The adjustment of the spring, as above described, entails a corresponding adjustment of the diaphragm 17, and its supporting frame 18, the latter being connected to the supporting bar by means of the spider 19, the hub 20 of which fits on the supporting bar and is loosened before the adjustment of the spring takes place. When the spring is being adjusted, the diaphragm frame and the diaphragm will move with the transmission rod, and at the completion of the adjustment, the spider hub 20 is retightened. The necessity for this double adjustment is due to the fact that if the diaphragm frame were rigid on the supporting bar, changes in the disposition of the spring would occasion a positive tension or pressure being imposed or exerted upon the diaphragm, which is not desirable.

I claim as my invention 1. In a phonograph transmission, the combination of a supporting bar; a diaphragm attached to said bar at its rear end, a stylus holder at the front end of the bar, a spring support connecting the holder to the bar and capable of flexing in both horizontal and vertical planes so as to permit the holder to vibrate both laterally and vertically, and a vibration transmission element disposed longitudinally of the bar and connected at its rear end to the diaphragm and at its front end to the holder at a point offset from the axis of vibration and lying between a vertical and a horizontal plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the vibration transmission member so that either vertical or lateral vibrations of the holder will be transmitted to the diaphragm.

2. In a. phonograph transmission, the combination of a supporting bar; a diaphragm attached to said bar at its rear end; a stylus holder at the front end of the bar having an arm which is inclined at an acute angle to the vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the holder; a vibration transmission element disposed longitudinally of the bar and connected at opposite ends with said diaphragm and said arm; and a support for the holder consisting of a strip of spring wire which connects the holder to the adjacent end of the bar and which is adapted to flex in both horizontal and vertical planes so as to permit the holder to vibrate both laterally and vertically.

3. in a phonograph transmission, the combination of a supporting bar; a diaphragm attached to said bar at its rear end; a stylus holder at the front end of the bar provided with a vertical base portion and with an arm which is rigid with and disposed in the plane of said base portion and which is inclined at an acute angle to the vertical plane which passes through the longitudinal axis of the holder; a vibration transmission element disposed longitudinally of the bar and connected at opposite ends with said diaphragm and said arm; and a support for the holder consisting of a strip of spring wire' which connects the holder to the adj acent end of the bar and which is adapted to flex in both horizontal and vertical planes so as to permit the holder to vibrate both laterally and vertically.

4. The combination of a stylus holder, and a support therefor comprising a strip of spring wire attached at its forward end to the rear end of the holder and adapted to flex in both horizontal and vertical planes so as to permit the holder to vibrate both laterally and vertically; a diaphragm and a vibration transmission element connected at one end to the diaphragm and at the other end to the holder at a point offset from the axis of vibration and lying between the vertical and horizontal planes of vibration of the holder; substantially as described.

5. The combination of a stylus holder having a vertically disposed, plane face, and a support therefor comprising a strip of spring wire fixed at its forward end to the center of said face and adapted to flex in both vertical and horizontal planes so as to permit the holder to vibrate both laterally and vertically, a diaphragm and a vibration transmission element connected at one end to the diaphragm and at the other end to the holder at a point offset from the axis of vibration and lying between the vertical and horizontal planes of vibration of the holder; substantially as described.

6. The combination of a stylus holder having a base at its rear end and an arm lying in the plane of said base and disposed at an angle to the vertical plane which passes through the longitudinal axis of the holder, and a support for the holder comprising a strip of spring wire fixed at its forward end to said base and adapted to flex in both horizontal and vertical planes so as to permit the holder to vibrate both laterally and vertically; substantially as described.

ing a base at its rear end and an arm lying in the plane of said base and set at an acute angle to the vertical plane Which passes through the longitudinal axis of the holder, and a support for the holder comprising a spring member of circular cross section fixed at its forward end to said base and adapted to flex in both horizontal and vertical planes so as to permit the holder to vibrate both laterally and vertically; substantially as de- 10 scribed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. 7

FREDRIoK Joss. 

